Retort-furnace construction.



H. A. CARPENTER.

RETORT FURNACE CONSTRUCTION- APPLICATION FILED EP :2

/M/ 4 FIG.

Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

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RETORT FURNACE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT,2, 1914.

1,150,810. Patented Augn, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. 2316.2. 5 v I R \k l WITNESSES TED @TATEd PATENT @FFIQE HENRY'A. CARPENTER, or SEWICKLEY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOBTO Mann-coupes: I

MANUFACTURIHG- COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA,;"A C OEPQBATION OF NEW J ERSEY."

RETORT-IE'URNACE CONSTRUCTION.

specification of iletters Patent. Patented Aug, 17, 1915;

Application filed September 2, 1914. Serial No. 859,785.

larly' to a type of retort furnace shown in two companion applications filed by me July 3, 1913, Serial No. 7 77,215, and Serial No 7 77 ,216, in which the retorts and their settings are shown in the form of an assemblage of blocks of appropriate shapes and sizes.

In most modern retort furnaces it is customary to build a number'of benches arranged side by side,the whole number constituting a stack of benches. In connection with each bench of the stack, means are provided for generating producer gas, and for introducing this producer gas, together with secondary air, to a combustion chamber of the bench from which products of combus-- tion are passed or circulated around the retorts therein. In the operation of benches constructed along the lines of the disclosures of said companion applications, some difficultieshave been encountered such as the effects of expansion and contraction on the refractory blocks or settings of which the several benches'are constructed, and one of the main objects of the present invention is,

to provide means for effectively taking care of the expansion 'and contraction of the refractory members entering into the construction and particularly this expansion and contraction in horizontal direction as distinguished, from the vertical direction, althoughprovision' is also made for vertical movements which may be dueto expansion. and contraction.

To these and other ends, the nature of which will be readily understood as the invention is hereinafter disclosed, the present invention consists in the improved construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanylng drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference characters indicate similar parts in each of the views, Figure 1 is a part elevational and part sectional view of a p0rtion of a stack or battery of gas retort benches constructed in accordance with my invention, and showing one wayin which it may be carried out. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of a stack, taken on a different vertical section from Fig. 1, and

' showing a diiferent way for carrying out the general invention, this, however, also showing the application of movement preventing means which may be employed. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a portion of two retorts illustrating forms of blocks, and the manner of assembling them to form retorts and cross walls.

In the drawings, I have shown a'complete bench 1, and portions only of two adjacent benches 2 and 3 of similar construction;

As illustrated, each bench is supported upon walls 4 and intermediate blocks or settings 5, the latter being located intermediate the lower portion of the bench proper and the recupera'tors, not shown, but which, in practice, are located between the walls 4.

combustion from the combustion chamber 6 designates a portion of the oombus-".-

are passed a and circulate through fliies formed by the cross walls of the bench construction. The producer gas and the secondary air above referred to are both designed to be'introduced to the combustion chamber 6 in the usuaLor any preferred manner. 7 i

As illustrated, a bench is constructed of 1 that the eflects of expansion and contraction of the blocks or settings be taken care of so as to eliminate any liability of any material disturbing the relative arrangement whichprovides for the formation of the individual retorts, it being understood that low grade of fire clay, these fillers the bringing of the blocks up to the final working temperature will provide an ex pansion action on the blocks, which action remains substantially constant while the blocks are operating at such temperature,

and that the cooling of the bench when it is out of service, necessarily provides for conis not as high as desirable, and for the pur-' pose of increasingfsuch efficiency, I provide a different way of taking care of these expansion and contraction effects. In the drawings, I have shown, several different ways in which this result may be obtained. Each form provides a space extending vertically throughout thebench, this space beof adhesive material which acts as a binder, being of a character possessing proper co ing equal to the distance required to compensate for the expansion of the blocks in bringing the blocks to the desired working temperature. In Fig. 1, this space is shown as located between adjacent vertical rows of retorts in a bench and between the bench and the walls 13, the spaces being. indicated at 14, the general effect being to practically segregate each vertical row of retorts,-so far asthe construction of the bench is concerned, without, however, disturbin the .open flue arrangement between the adjacent vertical rows of retorts'of a bench. This provision of a space is also provided in connection with the intermediate blocks or settings 5,

the spaces, however, being located above the walls 4 out of. vertical. alinement with the spaces between the rows of retorts.

As will be obvious, the general structural interlocking relation of the columns of blocks connected by the arch or truss structures is such that the temperature rise of the blocks to the desired point will cause proper expansion of the blocks, such expansion practically closing the spaces when that point is reached. For the purpose of closing the spaces externally, I may use suitable means such as blocks 15, located at the top of the bench, and blocks 16 which are adapted tocover the vertical exposed portion of,the spaces.

The present invention contemplates doing away with the employment of fillers interposed between the adjacent faces of the blocks for the pur ose of taking care of expansion as heretoore referred to. Instead of attempting to space the individual blocks by the use-of the fillers or spacers, I may unite the blocks by the use of a thin coating hesive strength, and which, upon vitrifying,

becomes of the same character as the blocks This coating material is applied to adjacent faces of the blocks or settings; in the drawings I have shown the same designated in black lines 17. The effect of this is to practically unite the setting of a vertical row of retorts. together to form practically a unit mass in which the expansion effect is substantially uniform throughout, the spaces 14 compensating for the expansion action. Another and a preferred way of providing such compensation is to locate the expansion spaces on a vertical line intersecting the retorts, this is shown in Fig. 2, the line being substantially midway of the width of the retort, thus intersecting the arch or truss structure, the superposed blocks which form the columns being positioned in contact in this form.. In thisform, the displacement which may be provided by the expansion of the individual blocks is mainly on the'truss structures which, being spaced apart by the openings through the retorts, are individual displacements rather than a displacement of the column arrangement at the sides of the retort, the latter being substantially fixedly positioned, the displacements being toward the center of the retort instead of away from the center, as in the arrangement of 1. In this form, the space for the lower 'row of blocks of a vertical row of retorts is out of alinement with the said line, and practically approximates the line on which the space betweenthe intervening blocks 5 is located; since, how ever, this lower row of space also opens into the retort itself, this non-alinement does not affect the expansion action. WVith this form, I may, if desired, dispense with the coating of adhesivematerial between blocks. I may also employ keys 20 which intersect the meeting faces of certain of the blocks which blocks might otherwisetend to drop from the proper positions when the spaces (indicated at 14) are physically present. These keys act to prevent relative movements of adjacent blocks in the direction of length of their meeting faces, and consequently the securing of the blocks together by means of the coating of adhesive material may be, if desired, dispensed with; an arrangement of this typeis shown in the lower portion of Fig. 2, in which the truss formation is shown as somewhat irregular, due to certain of the blocks moving when under contraction action, the positions, how- 'ever, being such that expansion-action restores the normal retort when the proper working temperature is provided. It will be understood, however, that bothfeatures may be employed, and that the keys may be. similarly secured in position, this being the arrangement shown in the upper ortion of Fig. 2. By the use of the key eature, contracting movements of the blocks, as by putting the vertical rows of retorts out of tion are provided by the cross walls, and as these walls are of substantially similar configuration throughout the length of the retort, it will be' readily understood that the expansion and contraction effects are taken care of at predetermined points instead of promiscuously throughout the retort settings. V

I claim:

I. In retort structures, a bench of vertical rows of retorts and their settings, said bench having expansion spaces extending vertis cally and from front to rear of the bench on predetermined lines, said spaces being of widths adapted to compensate for the expansion produced in bringing the bench to its working temperature, said spaces inter secting the retorts.

' 2. In gas retort structures, a bench of vertical rows of retorts comprising assemblages of blocks or settings of appropriate shapes, each assemblage providing a complete vertical row of retorts and their settings, the assemblages combinedly providing fiues for the circulation of products of combustion, said bench having expansion spaces extending vertically and from front-to rear of the bench on predetermined lines, said spaces being of widths adapted to compensate for the expansion produced in bringing the bench to its working temperature, one of said spaces intersecting the retortwalls and the circulation flues.

3.. In. gas retort structures, a bench of vertical rows of retorts comprising assemblages of blocks or settings of approprlate shapes,

each assemblage providing a complete vertical row of retorts and their settings, the assemblages combinedly providing fiues for the circulation of products of combustion, said bench having expansion spaces extending vertically and from front to rear ofthe v bench on predetermined lines, said spaces being of widths adapted to compensate for the expansion produced in bringing the bench to its working temperature, one of said spaces intersecting the retort walls.

l. 'In gas retort structures, a vertical row of retorts comprising an assemblage of blocks or settings of appropriate shapes, the

blocks or settings for the sidesof the re-. torts being superposed in column formation and the blocks ,or settings separating the retorts being arranged in arch form and connecting the columns, said assemblage having expansion spaces intersecting the arch structures.

"5. In gas retort structures, a vertical row of 'retorts comprising an assemblage of blocks or settings'of appropriate shapes, the

blocksor settings for the sides of the retorts being superposed in column formation and the blocks or settings separating the retorts being arranged in arch form and connecting the columns, said assemblage having expansion spaces intersecting the arch structures, and a pair of arch structures forming a support for the assemblage, opposing ends ofsaid supporting structures being spaced for similar expansion purposes.

6. In gas retort structures, a verticalrow of retorts comprising an assemblage "of blocks or settings of appropriate shapes, the blocks or settings for the sides of the retorts being superposed in column formation and the blocks or settings separating the retorts being arranged in arch form and connecting the columns, said assemblage having expansion spaces intersecting the arch structures, and keys intersectin the meeting faces of a plurality of. bloc s or v settings of the assemblage.

7. In retort structures, a vertical row of I aflix my signature 

